<p>I have not yet been admitted- but I am in the process of trying to narrow down my list .</p>
<p>I really love Vassar, but I do value a location that has something to offer. I get the sense that Poughkeepsie is lacking....I can't decide if it's worth sacrificing a desirable location for great students, academics, etc. </p>
<p>Do current students, other applicants, etc have insight on Poughkeepsie? (or this dilemma in general?)</p>
<p>Hey there… I’m a current sophomore at Vassar and would be happy to give you my thoughts on Poughkeepsie. Personally, I wouldn’t describe it as “lacking”: there are definitely things to do in the area. </p>
<p>If you don’t have a car on-campus (most students don’t), your ability to access Poughkeepsie is going to be limited primarily to the couple of streets directly across the campus. These streets have a nice collection of restaurants: an excellent cafe called Babycakes, a good tex-mex place, a second tex-mex place, a good American grill, a Chinese place, a couple of pizza places, a Middle Eastern restaurant, a Thai restaurant, and a nice coffee shop (I know several people who like to study there on occasion). There’s also a salon, a neat independent bookstore called the Three Arts, the Cubbyhole (a cafe that has live music on evenings), an HSBC, a dollar store, and a couple of independent boutiques. </p>
<p>You can also get further off-campus without a car. Vassar offers a daily shuttle service to a variety of different stops in downtown Poughkeepsie: the Poughkeepsie Middle School & High School (convenient for those doing fieldwork), several other restaurants and coffee places, city offices (again, for fieldwork), the Bardavon Theater (a historic opera house that features a variety of different musical/theatrical acts), the Chance (a modern music venue that has different local and regional groups perform each day), the train station, and a couple of arts centers. On weekends the shuttle also does trips to the Galleria Mall (which also contains a movie complex), and a strip mall complex that contains a Stop & Shop, Blockbuster, Barnes & Noble, Pastry shop (it’s fantastic), and a Modell’s. In addition, clubs on-campus often sponsor trips off-campus that are both community service (Habitat for Humanity, Hunger Action, etc.) and leisure (Outdoor Club, Ski Club, Cycling Club, etc.) oriented. </p>
<p>If you have a car (or make a friend who has a car… it’s a good idea!), there are other attractions in the area available. The Hudson Valley area contains several historic residences as well as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt house and Memorial Library, so if you’re interested in history, you’ll have plenty to see. The area is also quite scenic, so if you enjoy hiking and/or walks in the woods, you’ll find yourself in an excellent area (the Vassar Farm, one such place, is within walking distance of the campus). There are also a couple of bowling alleys within a reasonable drive of the campus.</p>
<p>Throughout the year there are a variety of different festivals, fairs, and street markets offered in Poughkeepsie, many of which are within walking distance of the campus. They’re usually quite fun and are a great way to find out about local vendors and restaurants in the city. There’s also a farmer’s market across the street from the campus in the fall and spring (it’s inside the college center during the winter) every Thursday afternoon.</p>
<p>In summation, you can definitely find things to do in Poughkeepsie. Keep in mind that in addition to what I’ve mentioned above, there’s also plenty of entertainment to be had on-campus both during the week and on weekends. Do be advised, however, that if you’re looking for a school right in the middle of a major city, Vassar probably isn’t the best choice for you. Poughkeepsie is a relatively small city with offerings that are obviously more limited than, say, New York or Boston. On the other hand, if all you’re looking for is the ability to access a major city on weekends, I would say that Vassar is an excellent option for you: Poughkeepsie is the last stop on the Hudson Line, meaning that you can take the train directly to Grand Central Station.</p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>I know I’m not the one who posted this question but – thank you! This has been a major part of my decision too, because I fall more in love with Vassar every day and am sure it is the school for me, but worry that other schools seems more appealing for their proximity to… civilization. This was so helpful- obviously Poughkeepsie has got a lot going for it that I didn’t even know about!</p>
<p>littleathiest’s post was so helpful to me as well, I’ve been wondering about this as I want to apply ED next fall…</p>
<p>That is all fantastic information–thanks! Are you liking Vassar overall so far??</p>
<p>Yes, overall, I am :). the classes and course offerings are great, just about all of my professors have been smart, kind people, the campus is lovely, and the friends I’ve made are wonderful. There’s usually plenty to do in regard campus events and I’ve found Poughkeepsie to be worlds better than I expected… I’ve actually ended up going into New York just once in my year and three-quarters at the school because there’s been so much going on either on-campus or in the city. I don’t believe that there’s such a thing as a “perfect fit” school (at least, for me, because I’m rather picky), but my time at Vassar (so far) has been a largely excellent experience.</p>
<p>My daughter is 3/4 through her Freshman year at Vassar and I’ve heard a lot about her freinds freshman year experiences. It seems that the less competition there is off campus, the more vibrant the life on campus. Vassar has four six week half terms with lots of down time in between. She enjoys returning to New York City in the breaks (particularly for the food) but is otherwise very happy with life on campus.</p>
<p>uhm…like apart from the students literally being on campus (which i know see is not as serious as people make it out to be) then what is the extent of the “vassar bubble” that i hear about so much?</p>
<p>In regards to the “Vassar bubble”… </p>
<p>I would say that most students do spend the majority of their time at Vassar on-campus. The idea of the “bubble” is that the student body isn’t inclined to leave campus all that often (there is a lot going on on-campus, after all). That being said, there is plenty to do off-campus, which is what my previous post in this thread was meant to reflect. </p>
<p>In addition, it feels like students are starting to take advantage of what’s directly off-campus to a greater extent. The school is making an active effort to encourage this through such venues as the daily shuttle into Poughkeepsie, a campus club that sends out weekly emails about different leisure and volunteer opportunities in the city, and an event this past fall called Meet Me in Poughkeepsie (different student groups took trips to different places in the city). My feeling about the bubble is that it only forms if you let it: if you want to get off-campus there are definitely things to do.</p>